


The Demon and the Lush

by Shrewlike_Hiveling



Series: The Impactverse [1]
Category: Impact Wrestling | Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Genre: Demons never forget, F/F, Honest but cryptic demon, I miss Laurel on impact so i wrote this, Laurel isn't very good at coping with feelings, Not very extreme they just have feelings and hang out, Rated teen for Laurel drinking so much and for the Demon's questionable behaviour, Rosemary can see auras and read mortal thoughts, inconsistent updates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2019-11-04 15:11:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 1,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17900489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shrewlike_Hiveling/pseuds/Shrewlike_Hiveling
Summary: It was Rosemary who'd found Laurel in the rafters.





	1. Chapter 1

After a second marriage-gone-wrong, Laurel had fled. She knew that if she'd gone to any of her usual spots, she would have been found quickly.

So she went to the rafters, and sobbed.

 

Sobbed for what felt like an hour.

Until she felt someone's gaze on her.

 

As Laurel looks up, it dawns on her.  
It was Rosemary who'd found her in the rafters.

The demon who insisted on protecting the one who ruined her first wedding.

 

The demon that seemed to use every single one of their matches to let out every ounce of anger and frustration within her.

Van Ness's thoughts were interrupted when the Hive Queen in question spoke.

"Lush."


	2. Chapter 2

"..Lush, do you seek to decay?"

Laurel thought for a moment.  
Decay?

Of course not, at least not before she got her revenge on--

"No, you seek vengeance towards the Bunny, don't you?"

Laurel nods, her throat dry.

"Of course, that's why you've caused such.. issues for us. You and the she-skunk."

Internally, Laurel wants to toss her champagne bottle at Rosemary and make a run for it.

Of course, that would mean having to explain to a hundred people why she was crying, and it would mean her having to insist she's fine..

Like how she'd told Kelsey, or McKenna, or whatever her name was..

"Not that we don't already know, but tell us."

"Why do you weep, Lush?"

Laurel froze.  
She hadn't been thinking out loud, had she?  
No, every word of that was definitely sealed in her head!

Can the demon hear her think?

"Yes, Lush. We can hear you."

So that means, when she went with Sienna to her match with the demon, the Demon could hear..

"Unfortunately, yes."

"But we aren't here to discuss that. We'll say it again, Lush. Why do you weep?"

A moment of hesitation.

Laurel sniffed.

"I-I was.."

"Continue, Laurel." Just a hint of a softer tone emerged within the Demon's voice.

Or was Laurel imagining that?

She didn't quite know.

"He.. left. You saw."

"We saw.."


	3. Chapter 3

Why did the demon even want to talk to Laurel? She wasn't quite sure. 

Maybe Rosemary wanted to know all of this for some kind of sick revenge scheme!

"Why would we ever do such a thing? We dislike the she-skunk.. Not the Lush.." The softer tone in the demon's voice was more audible now.

She was definitely making some sort of effort to try and be kind to Laurel, that much is obvious.

 

Laurel's thoughts were interrupted yet again when the demon ever-so-gently cupped Laurel's face, tilting her head to look her in the eyes.

It is then Laurel notices the demon's.

One is a deep blood-red, akin to the bright red lipstick Sienna told her wasn't her colour.

The other lacks colour, being nothing more than a white sclera.

 

Laurel would never verbally admit it, but they're beautiful in a strange way.


	4. Chapter 4

What is she doing? This is meant to be an enemy!

The one thing blocking her from strangling Allie! A Demon!

Even if that demon has kind-of pretty eyes..

..She's still an enemy!

Even if that enemy is trying to comfort you when you walked into her home in the rafters!

And she--

 

"Lush."

 

The demon let go of the lush's face.  
Her head lolled down, like nothing was holding it up.

She responds to Rosemary with a "Hm?"

 

"We understand how you feel."

 

Laurel met her eye again.

 

"We too were left rejected, feeling abandoned and desolate.."

"..And We are alright."

 

Rosemary takes a lock of Laurel's hair, putting it behind her ear.

 

"Don't stay for too long, we've observed this darkness can be maddening."

 

 

And with that, the Demon had gone.

Leaving Laurel alone with the rafters soaked in a sudden inky darkness that she hadn't remembered ever surrounding them before.


	5. Chapter 5

It's been about three days since Laurel had been in the rafters.

 

Thankfully, everybody seems to have forgotten that she was ever upset at all.

 

But Laurel can't seem to make herself forget about her encounter with the demon in the rafters.

Funny, she can't remember important stuff but she can't forget what the demon said in the rafters!

Sienna had told her to focus.

 

Focus on Allie.

 

Focus on how good it'll feel to beat her stupid face in again!

Don't focus on how it's gotten kind of cold.

And don't focus on how you're alone backstage, and somebody could really easily attack you how you attacked Allie in some kind of revenge plot..

..But Allie doesn't have any friends--

The demon.

 

She has the demon.

 

Focus on anything but the demon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosemary's POV

The Lush is perfectly content-looking on the outside, compared to how utterly dismayed and fractured her mind is.

 

Rosemary silently approaches, watching as Van Ness begins to shiver at her presence. 

She wonders if the Lush knows she's here.

Well, either way the demon decides she'll approach the mad bride.

 

The shivering, curled up, rather pitiful-looking mad bride.

 

 

"Lush!"

Laurel looked up with a shrill squeak escaping her lips.

"We can't help but wonder why you've hidden yourself in here."

"..Just some alone time.." The Lush murmurs, evading eye contact.

"We also wonder why you insist on staying acquainted with the She-skunk.. It isn't like she's kind to you."

Laurel paused, taking a swig of her ridiculously expensive champagne.

"Who.. Sienna..?"

"..She's nice.. always makes sure I'm okay.."

The demon almost laughs, but doesn't argue.

Rosemary isn't here to argue about the She-skunk.


	7. Chapter 7

Rosemary isn't here to argue about the she-skunk, that would be a waste of time.

After all, the Lush sees her as some sort of beacon.  
A beacon to allow her to enact vengeance on Rosemary's bunny, for some reason, whenever she pleased with little consequence.

Of course, the demon makes sure the lush isn't able to hurt her bunny.

 

"But, getting back to our point.."

"Why are you hidin- Apologies, 'having alone time'?"

"I.. I just.." Laurel pauses. 

She looks into the demon's ever changing eyes.

Today, they're a yellowish colour with slits rather than pupils.

Laurel stares intensely, taking them in-

"We await an answer.."

Laurel mumbles something, then:

"I.. I just wanted to be by myself for a little bit..?"

Rosemary can tell that the Lush has been taken by surprise.

But she presses on. Laurel is fun to play with.

"Would you mind if we sat with you?"

Laurel seems to weigh her options.

"..Sure."


	8. Chapter 8

So the Demon sits with the Mad Bride in silence.

Her aura seems to have calmed from the jagged, purple-coloured appearance it had earlier.

Which is both a positive and negative thing,  
As she tends to be hard to predict either way.

 

But as the Demon sits with the Mad Bride, she's uncharacteristically calm.

Her aura occasionally becomes a little jagged, but quickly returns to the softer, calm appearance.

Laurel is quite erratic, so it's to be expected.

 

"Why.. Why'd you want to..?"

"..Join you? We just wished to keep you company for a few moments, Laurel.." The Demon attempts to add a soothing tone to her voice.

It seems to work, as she can see the Lush's body language relax and change - shoulders no longer tense, steadier breathing..

And insistence on leaning against Rosemary, apparently.

She seems to be laying more than sitting now, which is especially unusual for someone like Laurel Van Ness.

The demon clasps her hands together as she sits, equally relaxed but most certainly not off-guard - what sort of demon assassin would she be if she was?


	9. Chapter 9

"You know, Lush, we can see how you fall so quickly for others.."

Rosemary got slightly closer to Laurel.

"..You fall for anyone who doesn't immediately look at you and scowl."

Laurel frowns.

"Anyone who doesn't immediately loathe you for being the mad bride..   
And even now, you do it."

"We can feel it from you.. The shades of your Aura."

The mad bride in question shudders.

"Wha.. What do you mean..?"


	10. Chapter 10

"We think you know what we mean, Laurel Van Ness."

She placed a hand on the bride's face, stroking the chin with her thumb.

"Your aura is at a delightful hue.."

Not as pleasant to look at as the Bunny's..

Laurel seems to be trying to pretend that she isn't looking into the demon's eyes.

Searching for something,

Anything that could reveal what Rosemary is thinking.

Rosemary looks into Laurel's.  
After all, the eyes are the window to the very soul.

And standard mortals like her are much easier to figure out than bunnies.

Laurel leans ever so slightly in, presumably to get a better look at Rosemary's yellow, slit eyes.

Rosemary reciprocated, also leaning in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTERS 11 AND 12 ARE TWO SEPARATE ENDINGS FOR THIS FIC. IT IS RECOMMENDED TO ONLY READ ONE, BUT READING BOTH IS OK.  
> DO WHAT YOU WANT
> 
> -SHREW


	11. BAD ENDING

Laurel leant in further,

When she was suddenly slapped.

That slap was so hard that she actually hit the floor..

Where did it come from?

..Oh.

 

Rosemary lowers her hand.

"Lush, Lush.. You really think we've forgotten what you did to our Bunny?"

Laurel is shivering, and rubbing her hand over the mark the demon's heavy handedness left.

She gives no reply, in shock.

 

"Oh, you're so forgetful.. But we haven't forgotten about any of it."

Laurel scrambled to her feet, bottle of champagne in hand.

She swings her hand and lands a blow in the face of the demon haunting her.

 

Glass shatters.

There's pieces imbedded in the demon, and of course lots and lots of blood.

It's pouring down the now-angry demon.

No, furious demon..

The furious demon that took advantage of Laurel's champagne-holding hand to swipe her wrist.

Rosemary clamps on, her unclean nails drawing blood in the Lush's shaking wrist.

"What a cruel mortal.."

She grins, then. Her teeth are tinted green at the edge-

With a hissing sound, all Laurel can see is green.

It's the mist..

"But demons are more cruel than mortals ever were.."


	12. GOOD ENDING

"The eyes of a mortal who needs a much better guide.."

"..Huh?"

"Laurel, the skunk isn't someone you should listen to,"

The Demon stroked Laurel's hair.

"However, we believe the Shadow may be the perfect guide."

"Who's that..?"

"The force that grants us such power.."

"I mean, that sounds pretty cool, but I can't just leave Sienna-"

"It is your decision, of course, but staying allied with her could be detrimental to your health. It is you who is invited to join, not her."

"Then I'll think about it.."

Rosemary went to stand.

"..But do you mind sitting with me a little bit longer..?"

"Fine.." The demon sat back down, having leant in again.


End file.
